KOZHIKODE: Even after one year since inaugurating the facility, many buildings are yet to be completed in the Gender Park project. Only two buildings were completed partially and many facilities are yet to come up in the campus. It is to be recalled that prominent women’s activists had expressed their angst in the delay in completing the project as well as alienation of the project from its declared targets of protecting women in distress. A brainstorming session held in March this year with experts in women’s studies had weaved out a plan for the implementation of the project. As per the plan the focus would be research, skill development and training programmes for women.
Gender Park advisory board member Mini Sukumaran told DC that the ongoing works would be over by March and programmes would be organised only thereafter. It would be more or less like knowledge centre, she said. On facilities for women in distress to stay in the Gender Park, Mini Sukumaran said that the protection of women was not in the proposal at any point of its evolution. “It is a autonomous body controlled by the state government”, she added.
Meanwhile sources in the office of minister for health and social justice K.K. Shailaja told DC that the programmes for implementation is yet to be finalised. “Discussions are going on and we need more funds for completion of the facilities”, he said. However none of the activists or representatives of women’s organisations were included in the advisory council. Noted activists K. Ajitha and V.P. Suhra told DC that initially they were invited for discussions but later they were excluded.
Ms Suhra said that it had become an elite experts’ affair. We have no complaints as we have no time to sit and stand in tune with the whims and fancies of the government officials, she said, adding that their work is at the grassroots which is on in full swing without even any affiliation to state or central agencies.
